How to show gratitude with your family this Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching which means we can openly express all of our gratitude to our loved ones!

Okay, we could do this any day. But Thanksgiving is particularly special because it’s a time when families can gather together around the dinner table and socialize in ways we may have been unable to do all year long.

Below are some fantastic ideas on how to practice thanks and gratitude when you and your family come together this Thanksgiving!

Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.

Thank You Cards

A classic when it comes to showing thanks, thank you cards are a wonderful, simple token to implement into your Thanksgiving dinner party. Something I enjoy doing is writing down personal, handwritten notes and placing them inside delicate and festive holiday cards. I set each card at the designated seating spot of family members for large groups, or hand them out individually once everyone is seated in smaller groups.

Not only am I able to express my gratitude in a heartfelt note, but it’s such a fun way to tie in the essence of the season right before we all dive in to our delicious food. When I’m hosting, I find the moment when everyone reads their cards to be especially beneficial because it allows me to collect all of the final dishes and utensils for the meal.

Another idea for thank you cards could be for everyone to write down one sentence on why they’re grateful to have each person in their life. Then, everyone can take their cards home to read and reminisce after the holiday festivities.

Gratitude Gifts

One tradition that I’ve found to be so simple and sweet is to share gratitude gifts on Thanksgiving. Similar to a Christmas gift giving celebration, people can bring small gifts to friends and family during Thanksgiving to show their appreciation.

This is also a fun way to implement a secret-santa-esque event into your Thanksgiving dinner party.

The thing about gratitude gifts is that they don’t need to be fancy or expensive. They can be small and personal, meant to highlight why we love and adore one another.

If you need some gift ideas, you can try:

an art set
A small toy for a child
An inexpensive watch
Baked goods
A hand-crafted masterpiece
Ornaments for Christmas
Gift cards
A mug for warm drinks during winter
Socks
Scarves
Hats
Jewelry

Think of these gratitude gifts as you would a stocking stuffer. They’re meant to be small and simple. They showcase your appreciation and love for your friends and family, making Thanksgiving a little more special and enjoyable.

Gratitude Checklist

Another way to highlight your gratitude this Thanksgiving is to have the family participate in a gratitude list.

The best way to do this is to gather your immediate family or household together at breakfast and hand everyone a little notepad and pen. Have everyone write down a list of what they’re grateful for. You can even make it a challenge that whoever has the biggest list doesn’t have to do any dishes this Thanksgiving. Or, whoever reaches ten first wins.

This is an opportunity to get creative and make a fun challenge with your family. Of course, you could cut the challenge all-together and make it a simple tradition of just celebrating the things everyone is grateful for this year.

Thankful Crafts

If you have a bunch of young kids running around your home this Thanksgiving, then thankful crafts may be exactly what you need.

A few ideas include:

Hand turkeys

Get some construction paper (brown, red, orange, and yellow) and trace everyone’s hands. Cut out the hand shapes and glue them together to form the turkey feathers. Outline a fist or a foot for the turkeys body and decorate the face with eyes, a beak, and a wattle.

Turkey paintings

Similar to the above craft, you can get some kid-friendly paints and make hand-print turkeys. Glue on some googly eyes and paint the beak to finish off the turkey art project.

Leaf rubs

One of my favorite crafts as a kid, leaf rubs are a wonderful autumnal craft. Have the kids go outside and pick up some interesting leaves to bring back inside. Using paper and crayons, place the leaf under the paper and use colored crayons to gently rub an outline of the leaf on top!

Thanksgiving PotLuck

Lastly, Friendsgivings and Thanksgivings in general can often be celebrated with potlucks! Potlucks are a great way to get everyone involved in the holiday festivities and make dinner easier on the host. It’s a great way to share the work and highlight your appreciation with one another.

It’s also just super exciting to see what everyone brings! Potlucks are delicious and inventive, proving to be one of the most honorable and notable events of Thanksgiving!

If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below!

Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know how you like to celebrate Thanksgiving with your family!

You can also email me with questions or concerns you may have at info.amelia.wilson@gmail.com

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Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.

Thanks again